Sisters
by India Rose Ghersi
Summary: Where did Tara's sister come from? What lead her to find Tara? The backstory of Tara's half sister Holly, previously introduced in How Much I Love You. Can be read on its own.
1. 1 Questions

"Holly Lucinda Eldridge." Holly read out loud as she looked at her birth certificate. She looked up at her father. "Where do the Holly and Lucinda come from Dad?"

"Well, I chose Holly." He said. "But when your mother left, she had one request."

"What was that?" Holly asked curiously.

"She asked that I give you the same middle name as your sister."

"My sister?" Holly asked, confused. "I've got a sister?"

Her father nodded. "You've got a brother too. Somewhere."

"Why haven't I heard about this before?"

"I didn't know whether I should tell you. Jane said her husband was violent. Donald, your brother, was getting to be a bit that way too. It wasn't safe Holly. I didn't want you to have to deal with the same sorts of things Tara does. I knew that if I told you about them, you'd want to know more."

"You've got that right Dad." Holly said. "I do want to know more." She looked at him, here eyes demanding. "You don't think I had a right to know that I have other siblings?"

"Of course you had a right to know Holly." Her father said, his voice growing quiet.

"So why didn't you tell me?"

"I was trying to protect you Holly. Their father. Donald. It wasn't safe."

"You could have at least told me they existed."

"Then you would have wanted to know more."

"I always listened to you Dad. If you said I couldn't meet them yet, when I was older I could, I would have listened."

"I'm sorry Holly." He apologised. "Here." He pulled a photo out of his pocket and handed it to her. "Your mother sent this to me shortly before she passed away. This is your sister. Tara Maclay."

Holly took the picture from her father and studied it. Then, she took the framed picture of their mother and compared the two. All three of them, she realised, had the same shimmering blue eyes and flowing blonde hair, though hers was much curlier at the ends then her mother's or Tara's.

* * *

"Tara Maclay." Holly said thoughtfully as she typed the name into the computer's search engine. She clicked on the first result that came up.

'U.C. Sunnydale Wicca Group' The page was headed. Holly scrolled through the photos of it's members until she came across the name 'Tara Maclay'. Clicking on the photo brought up a short profile and a number of photos of Tara with a kind looking red head. Curious, Holly clicked back to the previous page and searched for the girl. 'Willow Rosenberg', it said under her picture. Holly jumped at the sound of her father's booming voice behind her. This couldn't be good. When his voice boomed, it meant he was anything but happy.

"Holly. Lucinda. Eldridge." He said, his voice growing quiet. That was even worse. "What do you think you are doing?"

"I was looking for my sister." Holly said innocently, turning around to face him. "I do have aright to know about her, right?"

"Well, I guess. Just so long as you don't go after Donald. From what I've heard, he's just as dangerous as his father. But, Tara is fine." Her father relented, finally relaxing.


	2. 2 Runaway

Holly's father threw up his hands.

"First you…" He started. "Grew up, now this. I think I'm going insane." Her father paced the hall, all but tearing his hair out.

"Dad." Holly said, standing in the doorway. "It's not that bad. Come on, you men must have your secrets."

Her father stopped, staring at her. "Not like this!" He said frantically. "No blood! No moody rollercoaster ride. No courses! This is insane. There must be something…"

"Sure. You could take me to a doctor and he could help. Only, he'd want to talk about it. In great detail." She warned.

Her father shook his hands in front of his face. "Ah. No. That's ok. That's perfectly alright. That's ok." He stammered awkwardly.

* * *

Holly gasped as a few sparks erupted from her finger. Her father's eyes grew wide as he turned to look at his daughter. He'd seen… sparks? Coming out of his daughter's finger. But that was impossible. Surely.

"What was that?" He asked breathlessly.

"I don't know." Holly said. "It's been happening a bit lately. I was going to tell you. But you seemed to have enough on your plate.."

"Great!" He said sarcastically. "This is great. First you grow up, then you get on a rollercoaster you can't come off of.." he said, unable to bring himself to say what it actually was. "Now this! What's next? I find out I'm a millionaire!?" He yelled. "No," he continued, "actually that would be quite good. I wouldn't mind that."

Holly laughed. Her father tended to go on long tangents when he was nervous or angry.

"I don't know if I can handle any of this." Her father admitted. "This weird stuff."

Holly looked at him.

"You know, I think it might come from your mother's side of the family." He said thoughtfully. "Yes. She said something about Maclay women having it."

"What?"

"The weird stuff."

* * *

Holly rose, placing her hands on her hips. "Dad, you can't handle this, can you?"

Apologetically, her father stared at the ground and shook his head.

"I'll go. It'll make it easier for both of us." She said.

"What? Holly.."

"I'm still mad at you Dad." She said abruptly. "You should have told me. Besides, you obviously can't handle me. What with the 'girl stuff' and the 'weird stuff' as you call it. I love you Dad. But be honest, you have no idea what to do with me."

Sadly, her father shook his head again.

* * *

Holly pecked her father on the top of his partially bald head.

"Holly, wait." He said just as she reached the doorway.

"What is it Dad?" She asked, a little impatient to go.

"Where are you going to go?"

"I'm going to go find Tara."

"Bu.." Her father started, stopping when she raised her hand in the air.

"It's ok. Tara's not with her dad or her brother. I checked. She's going to university, in Sunnydale California."

Her father nodded. "Alright then. Good luck."

* * *

"I'm looking for Tara Maclay." Holly told the lady at the reception desk.

"I'm sorry Miss. She no longer resides here. You may find her at 1630 Revello Drive."

"Thank you." Holly smiled and returned outside. 'Revello Drive.' She thought as she pulled out her map. 'That's not too far from here.'


	3. 3 Reunited

**This may be a little repetitive for those of you who've read How Much I Love You. Sorry about that. But, I have tried to add in a few new things here and there to keep it interesting for you**

* * *

Holly took a deep breath in an attempt to calm her growing nerves before reaching out and knocking on the door. She could hear murmuring inside and then footsteps before the door opened to reveal the redhead she recognised as Willow Rosenberg.

"Can I help you?"

"I'm looking for Tara Maclay." Holly said nervously. "Does she live here?"

Willow looked at her. "Tara?"

"So she does live here?" Holly asked.

"What do you want with Tara?" Willow asked, protective.

"I've got something important to tell her." Holly said. She didn't want to tell this girl when she wasn't entirely sure who she was. "Can I come in? Please?"

"Sure." Willow said uncertainly and Holly followed her inside.

* * *

The redhead sat down next to Tara, who gestured for Holly to take the seat opposite them, which she did.

"Who's this Willow?" Tara asked.

"I'm not sure." Willow admitted in a small voice. "She says she's got something important to tell you though." Tara looked back at Holly, here eyes a little wider with curiosity.

Holly nodded. "I'm Holly. Tara, I'm your sister." Holly gulped down a barrel of nerves and looked at her sister anxiously, afraid of what her reaction might be.

"My what?" Tara asked, obviously baffled. Holly noticed the redhead take Tara's hand.

"Sister." Holly repeated patiently. "Well, half really. Do you remember when you were about 7, your mother went away for a while?" She asked, having rehearsed the explanation a thousand times in her head.

Tara nodded, remembering the time her mother had disappeared for a few months, only to return without an explanation.

"When she was away, she had me. Then she disappeared, back to you I guess and left me with my Dad."

* * *

"He kicked me out. Well, it was sort of half and half. But he didn't stop me." Holly said. Tara and Willow's mouths fell open a little.

"He said he couldn't deal with me anymore. Not just with the regular teenage stuff but with the…" Holly trailed off, not quite sure how to explain it. "Weird stuff."

"Weird stuff?" Tara repeated.

"Magic." Holly answered. "I think. He said it came from my mother's side."

Tara just looked at her.

"Dad," Holly went on. "He told me stories when I was little. He told me a few days ago that they were about you. That I had a sister somewhere else. So when I left, I thought I'd come find you. I didn't really have anything to lose."

Tara got up and crossed the gap between herself and Holly, kneeling down in front of her and placing a gentle, reassuring hand on her knee.

"How did you find me?"

"I looked you up." Holly said simply. "I saw both of you were part of a Wicca group at Sunnydale University. That's how I knew you were a witch and I figured you could probably help me with the other stuff too." Tara smiled.

"So I went there to try and find you. They said you didn't live there anymore and sent me here."

"I'm glad you came to find me Holly. You can stay here with Willow and I tonight. We'll work out a better plan in the morning. How does that sound?" Tara asked.

Holly nodded.

* * *

"Tara?" Holly whispered nervously as the went up the stairs. Tara paused and turned back to face her sister.

"What is it Holly?" She asked kindly.

"Can I ask you guys something?"

"Of course." Tara smiled as Willow turned around.

"W-Where does Willow fit into things?" She asked.

"She's my girlfriend." Tara explained, smiling as she squeezed Willow's hand.

Holly smiled back. "Well, I kind of get two sisters for the price of one don't I?"

"Yeah." Willow replied brightly. "I guess you do."

* * *

"There's two other people you should know about." Tara told Holly the next morning.

"Oh?" Holly said curiously. "This isn't your house? Or do they live with you?"

"We live with them." Willow answered.

"Yeah. This is Buffy's place. She and Willow have been friends since high school. She's got a little sister Dawn who's a little older than you. 16."

The three women went downstairs and Willow sat with Holly at the counter while Tara made pancakes for breakfast.

"Thanks Tara." Holly smiled at her sister, who looked over at her briefly.

"You're welcome Holly."


	4. 4 Fun

**I'm giving everyone two chapters today as I'll be away next week so won't be here to post the next one then. Enjoy!**

* * *

"Dawn, why don't you show Holly around Sunnydale?" Buffy suggested later that morning. "She might be staying with us a while."

"Sure." Dawn smiled eagerly. "Come on Holly."

Holly glanced nervously at Tara, who nodded. "It's alright Holly." She said.

"Yeah." Dawn smiled in an attempt to be friendly. "I'll show you round, then we'll go to a café or something. My shout. How does that sound?"

Holly nodded. "Ok."

Dawn looked at her sister. "Could we go then Buffy?"

"Sure." Buffy smiled.

Dawn turned back to Holly and smiled. "Do you want to go then?"

"Sure." Holly agreed, getting up.

"Have fun!" Buffy and Tara called in unison as they left the room.

* * *

"So, what do you want to see first?" Dawn asked.

"I don't know." Holly admitted. "You know Sunnydale best. What do you think I should see?"

"Well, there's the Magic Box, the school, the university, but of course you've already been there." Dawn stopped, glancing at Holly. "Do you like shopping? There's a great mall here."

"Kinda." Holly nodded. "I'm not the biggest shopper in the world but.."

Dawn flicked her hand in the air, grabbing Holly's hand with her own free one and dragging her along. "That's alright. Come on, this is going to be fun!"

Holly couldn't help but smile at the girl's enthusiasm.

"I'm glad there's someone here around my age now." She'd said that morning. "It'll be double the fun!"

* * *

When their sisters told them the plan upon their return, Dawn turned to Holly, her smile wide. "This is going to be awesome!" She said.

Holly smiled weakly. "Yeah. I'm sure it will be." She said, half in a daze.

"It'll be fun. We'll go shopping again tomorrow. This'll be great!"

"I've asked everyone to come over tonight, so they can meet Holly. Is that alright?" Buffy asked.

"Yeah." Tara and Willow agreed. They both looked at Holly.

"That should be fun. It'll be good to meet them all. I'll be able to put faces to the names."

* * *

"Ok so let me get this straight," Xander said, looking down the table at Willow, Tara and Holly.

"Holly is your sister. Your mother had a fling and had another daughter." The three women nodded.

"Wow." He said breathlessly. "Anyway, nice to meet you Holly. I'm Xander."

"Giles."

"Anya."

"Spike."

"And of course, you already know Willow, Buffy and Dawnie." Tara finished as everyone went around the table introducing themselves.


	5. 5 Sisterly Bond

"Are you ok?" Willow asked, concerned, as she and Tara sat down either side of Holly on the lounge.

"Yeah. I'm alright." She said.

Tara put a gentle hand on her sister's knee, studying her face. "You can tell us, you know Holly."

"I know." Holly smiled. "It's just, so much is going on. There's meeting you guys, and Buffy and Dawn and everyone else. Which is great. But…"

"It's all getting a bit too much?" Tara guessed and Holly nodded, slightly relieved.

"Just take it one day at a time." Willow suggested.

"You know, when I first got here, it was like that for me too." Tara admitted.

"Really?"

"Yeah. I had Willow. But meeting everyone else. They were kind of surprised at me."

"I guess it's not everyday your friend comes home with a girlfriend huh?" Holly asked Willow.

"No." She laughed. "But to their credit, they did take it quite well."

"Anyway," Tara said, getting back on track, "there were all these new people and they had their own little group already. Do you know what got me through?"

"What?"

"Willow stuck by me the whole time. So now, both of us are going to do the same thing for you."

Willow nodded her agreement.

"Thank you. Again." Holly said. "You guys have done so much for me already and I've barely been here a day."

Tara slipped her arm around Holly and hugged her close. "You're my sister Holly!" She smiled. "Of course I'm going to help you."

"We both will." Willow agreed.

"You don't have to Willow. You haven't really got any obligation." Holly pointed out.

"I know I don't. But, I'm Tara's girlfriend and you're her sister." Willow said. "Besides, I've always kind of wanted a sister."

Holly smiled.

* * *

"Baby, I know you're worried about it, but you'll be fine. Look at Buffy. She manages."

"She's known Dawnie her whole life. I've known Holly about two days. I didn't even know she existed before that."

Willow pressed her lips to Tara's, kissing her quickly. "Besides, you've got something that Buffy doesn't."

"I do?" Tara asked, looking at Willow, confused.

"Yeah. You do." She smiled. "You've got me." Tara laughed.

"You're so sweet Willow. I'm so lucky to have you. Both of you. You and Holly. I missed my mother so much and now I've got a little piece of her. Really, what more could I ask for?" Tara leaned in and kissed Willow.

"I promise." Willow said. "We're in this together. You and me. I'm not going anywhere."

"Willow." Tara whispered.

"Yeah?"

"You're the best." Tara said and leaned in to kiss her again. "I love you."

"I love you too Tara."

* * *

"Willow, do you think we could go out today?" Tara asked, glancing at Willow who sat on a stool across the counter.

"Sure. But what would we do with Holly?"

"Bring her with us." Tara said. "I thought we could have a day, just the three of us, so she could get to know us more and we could get to know her."

"That sounds good Baby."

"What sounds good?" Holly asked, coming into the kitchen and going behind the counter to help Tara.

"Well, I thought we could go out today. Just the three of us. How does that sound?"

"Actually, it sounds really, really good." Holly said, coming round to sit with Willow, who put a gentle hand on her arm.

"Are you sure you're ok?"

"Yeah. I'm fine. Everything's just a little overwhelming, that's all. I'm glad I get to have a day where no one is all over me."

"It'll die down soon. They're just trying to get to know you." Willow said.

"I guess." Holly nodded.

"Look, I could ask them to lay off a bit if you like." Tara said, rubbing her sister's shoulder as she sat down on her other side.

"Would you Tara?" Holly asked hopefully.

"Of course I would." Tara smiled.

* * *

"Holly, can I ask you something?" Tara asked when Willow had left the room to get changed.

"Sure."

"Are you ok, you know, with me. And Willow?" She asked nervously.

"What do you mean?" Holly asked. "You and Willow are both really nice. You're a better sister then I could have imagined and Willow's awesome. She's just an added bonus, isn't she? Two sisters for the price of one."

"Aww. Holly that's really sweet." Tara smiled. "But, I meant with me and Willow, being together." Tara held her breath in anticipation of her sister's answer, afraid of what she might say.

"Of course I'm ok with it!" Holly said. "You two are awesome together, and it's pretty obvious how happy she makes you."

Tara let go of the breath she'd been holding. "Thanks Hol. I'm really glad you like both of us."

"How could I not?" Holly asked. "How could anyone not like either of you? Seriously?"

* * *

"I didn't know what to expect when I came here." Holly admitted as she walked with Tara and Willow along the water's edge. "But I'm glad I came."

"So are we." Willow smiled.

"I'm so glad you found us Holly. Otherwise I never would have known about you."

"You guys are the best." Holly said. "You're definitely better than Dad."

"Should I ask what he did?"

"Well apart from calling my abilities 'weird stuff'?" Holly asked. "Every time I mentioned 'girl business', he'd get all awkward. You are a lot easier to talk to." Holly admitted and Willow and Tara burst out laughing.

"I can only imagine." Willow said.

"My dad just refused to talk about it." Tara remembered. "Every time I'd try to start, he'd throw up his hands. I knew that was a serious warning sign, so eventually, I just learnt not to talk about it at all." That elicited another laugh from the three girls.

* * *

"Well," Holly said, holding her glass in the air. "Two sisters for the price of one. Two brilliant sisters at that."

"Sisters!" Willow and Tara chimed in, clinking their own glasses with Holly's. Willow put her hand atop the one Tara had on her knee, squeezing it gently. She looked at Holly.

"What are you looking at me for Willow?" Holly laughed. "Just go for it. Trust me, I don't mind. Not one bit." Willow's worried expression relaxed into a smile.

"You don't mind me being with Tara?"

"Not one bit." Holly said. "I'm totally cool with it, and you make each other happy. Besides, you're awesome. Both of you are."

Willow and Tara laughed and Willow kissed Tara's lips softly as Holly smiled.

"You know Holly," Tara started.

"What?"

"You're awesome too."


End file.
